Thursday, April 10, 2014

Liberalism and Communitarianism in America Lessons of Thanksgiving

Many people have some kind of perception or lack of proper understanding about what the ideological foundations of public and social life in the context of American politics, in this case is Liberalism. As learning and reflection of my experience to the thanksgiving event of an American friend, I want to tell you a little about my interpretation of observations and Liberalism in family life and public activity.

Towards the end of November, I and some other friends were invited by Eric, an OU student majoring in education, to come and stay at his mom's home in Cincinnati. Eric's warmth and kindness -- which we often feel it from him as a friend -- also can be felt from his family members. We were treated like the members of their own family.

In addition to their treatment -- which greatly appreciated and pampered their guests -- two other very impressive thing for me were the warmth and the kinship between them, as well as an their open views of life. Eric's relationships with other family members was very warm. Not only that, Eric's family apparently also had a reputation for philanthropic families; from generation to generation they had greatly contributed to the land, buildings, and many other things for the purposes of neighbors and people around them such as the construction of schools, churches, and other public facilities.

Their attitude was also very open and accustomed to welcoming people with different backgrounds, including me and some other international friends. The more interesting was, Eric's family also was active in public life in their neighborhood, such as community and church activities. From conversations with Eric and his own stories, I often heard Eric's stories in his youth as the 1960s generation of activists, his involvement and advocacy efforts to Native Americans, and his consistency in education, which -- until now -- is still run by him with tutoring and teaching activities, especially for children with special needs and education for peace.

For mere information, Eric family has Irish Catholic background, the Irish American Catholic, which although with a Caucasian background, but that is a minority in American society which dominant with WASP (White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant - a white-skinned, British ancestry or speak English, and Protestant).

From my experience, I see how the American Liberalism "practiced" in the Eric's life and his family. Liberalism which is precisely based on Communitarianism; appreciation and suggestions to be active in public life as part of the family as the basis of society, as the smallest unit of society.

Of course, in accordance with the spirit of Liberalism, there is appreciation for the choices and personal rights. It can be seen from how Eric's family is not trying to 'fiddling' his life choices to dedicate in education and tutoring the unusual ​​and 'strange' languages such as Greek and Latin, for example, which is not so 'produce' (especially from the perspective of modern capitalist society to see things from a profit). But, the core of my observations and conclusions are, how exactly is a fusion of American Liberalism, harmony between communalism in public life coupled with the appreciation of individual rights. Here, Liberalism is clearly seen not as "individualism and selfishness blind" as often alleged by the people.

In connection with the American political spectrum, Liberalism also side by side with the progressive political agendas, which means it is a support for the welfare state, the protection of working families, and the defense of the workers, the middle class, and so-called 'people' in general. It can be said, this is more or less similar to European-style social democracy, which I support the agendas.

If the destination over American Liberalism -- leaning on the welfare state -- is a reward for the individuals and all their potential, then the appreciation and practice of solidarity values, communalism (in a good sense), and family spirit is its cornerstone, its base, as practiced by Eric and his family.

In some American political literature, the scientists and famous political thinkers such as Theda Skocpol, Robert Dahl, and John Rawls also said the same thing : Liberal-Progressive based on Communitarianism which becomes the basis for the more deliberative and fair American democracy.

Unfortunately, the progressive tradition of American politics today is much more 'contaminated' by the dominance and militancy of the conservative-neoliberal agenda, as well as the neo-conservative foreign policy of politicians and policy makers in the United States. Even, the more unfortunately is, a model of political and misguided political science -- which is also from the U.S.-- will be 'exported' to politics and political discipline in other countries, coupled with the decline of power and political position of global progressive in various flows, such as the socialist, social democrat, green, socially liberal, progressive Islam, and many others who are "sputtered" in answering the swift currents of the times.

My mission is to "smash" our stuttering. From the warmth of Eric's family on thanskgiving weekend, I learned more to understand human and society better.
***[CZ-lacalifusa041014]

CZ

"Thank you for your perception! I like your romantic side, even if I do not always comment and I'm glad that you're in my circle of friends."(Courtesies by: Wolfgang A. Gerhardt)

Wolfgang A.Gerhardt : May be you like this Sunday collage

Cisca Zarmansyah : Before today, there never was a person doing this to me. You create a simple matter to look special. This is a special thing for me.

Cisca Zarmansyah : Thank you. I love it. I love you, my friend. ♥

CieL- FreYa Ceastle : Hmm, he's so nice...

"I am me.
In all the world,
there is no one else exactly like me.
Everything that comes out of me
is authentically mine,
because I alone chose it --
I own everything about me:
my body,
my feelings,
my mouth,
my voice,
all my actions,
whether they be to others or myself.
I own my fantasies,
my dreams,
my hopes,
my fears.
I own my triumphs and successes,
all my failures and mistakes.
Because I own all of me,
I can become intimately acquainted with me.
By so doing,
I can love me
and be friendly with all my parts.
I know there are aspects about myself that puzzle me,
and other aspects that I do not know
-- but as long as I am friendly
and loving to myself,
I can courageously and hopefully
look for solutions
to the puzzles and ways
to find out more about me.
However I look and sound,
whatever I say and do,
and whatever I think and feel at a given moment in time
is authentically me.
If later some parts of how I looked,
sounded,
thought,
and felt
turn out to be unfitting,
I can discard that which is unfitting,
keep the rest,
and invent something new
for that which I discarded.
I can see,
hear,
feel,
think,
say, and do.
I have the tools to survive,
to be close to others,
to be productive,
and to make sense
and order out of the world of people
and things outside of me.
I own me,
and therefore,
I can engineer me.
I am me,
and I am okay."

VIRGINIA SATIR
(American Phychologist and Educator, 1916-1988)

About Me

"When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent. I was not a communist. When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent. I was not a social democrat. When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out. I was not a trade unionist. When they came for the Jews, I remained silent. I wasn't a Jew. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out." - Martin Niemöller